1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a medical device and a medical procedure that will improve the safety, post-operative recovery, and ease of surgery to repair upper cervical spine (vertebral column, bones) damage.
2. Description of the Related Art
Traditionally, atlantoaxial region fixation has been performed from a posterior approach. Heretofore, anterior access has been available using transoral or transpalatal routes, which pose a high risk of infection. Furthermore, the instrumentation required for such anterior approaches is complex and not always available.
Anterior or high cervical approaches make it possible to expose the C1-C2 region, and such approaches have been used to perform excision of the odontoid process or tumors of the C2 or odontoid region. Nevertheless, stabilization of this region using previously available anterior methods requires a second stage operation, or a second operation, since there are no effective methods currently available for anterior fixation.
R. Reindl, et al., “Anterior Instrumentation for Traumatic C1-C2 Instability,” Spine, vol. 28, pp. E329-33 discloses the use of an odontoid screw and anterior transarticular C1-C2 screws to instrument instability at this region. This approach requires the use of two high quality fluoroscopes, a radiolucent OSU fracture table, and a SynFrame retraction system. This approach is not a preferred surgical procedure and is seldom used today.
What is needed is a method and apparatus for atlantoaxial region fixation that overcomes the drawbacks described above.